Kenai Peninsula

The Kenai Peninsula offers access to Prince William Sound, Kenai Fjords National Park and Kachemak Bay. Tidewater glaciers and abundant marine wildlife can be viewed by organized day cruises or by chartering a small boat or paddling a sea kayak, which afford a more personal experience. Numerous wilderness lodges provide guided or do-it-yourself access as well.

As you drive from Anchorage to the Kenai Peninsula, you will be following Cook Inlet for quite a while. The mountain and ocean views are majestic, and keep an eye open for sightings of Beluga whales in the water to your right and of moose and mountain goats alongside the road to your left. However, this requires a serious word of caution: be aware that the distractions of scenery and wildlife make this a very hazardous stretch of highway. Drive with care and buckle up.

Whittier has an active boat harbor from which it is possible to embark on organized tours of Prince William Sound for glacier and wildlife viewing, to charter a small boat for a private tour, or to arrange a water taxi to be dropped off for kayaking.

The best reason to visit Seward is the opportunity to get out on the water of Resurrection Bay and Kenai Fjords National Park. Several tour companies offer day cruises that explore the fjords and their many glaciers.

One of the principal destinations on the Kenai Peninsula is the town of Homer. It is a thriving community that was discovered by artists, hippies and end-of-the-roaders in the 1960s. Many of them never left.